The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) to take over the management and maintenance of a government network for confidential intra-departmental communication. The move comes in the wake of Centre for Development of Telematics’ (C-DoT) inability to execute the project on time.

Earlier, DoT had mandated C-DoT to develop a secured and dedicated communications network (SDCN) but even after three years, the agency is yet to conclude field trials. Therefore, DoT has now entrusted MTNL with the responsibility of operating the SDCN, for facilitating secure communication among government departments.

DoT has directed C-DoT to complete all acceptance testing formalities by the end of April 2014 and hand over operations and maintenance of the secure communications network to MTNL. The telecom research agency missed the January 1, 2014, rollout deadline as it was unable to fix the network’s biometric authentication system, which potential users had found unfriendly and unreliable during recent trials. While handing over the project to MTNL, C-DoT has assured the DoT that it will take corrective action to conclude acceptance testing across critical points.

In addition, DoT has also asked MTNL to create an internal directory of central ministers, bureaucrats and top officials of India’s security agencies who will use the secured network. The network will use handsets developed by C-DoT which are impossible to wire-tap. Further, C-DoT will draft a user manual for the 1,400-strong SDCN user group who will be assigned unique numbers and handsets that will be distributed by MTNL.